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The Lair
The Lair is a horror anthology television film released in 1992. The film was produced by Traffic Television, Laney/Novice Productions and Brain Works and was distributed by HBO Pictures. The film was aired only once before getting pulled due to the subject matter. The film maintains a cult following due to its rarity and twisted atmosphere. Production The film was conceived by Frank Novice after he came across some of his old writing projects from his college years. He was reluctant to make a film based around them because he felt that he wouldn't have enough material to make full length movies out of them, but his wife Lilly Laney convinced him to compile each of them into one film. The two confided to John Wink to help them fix up Novice's ideas into film worthy ones due to Wink's experience in horror. This movie is unique, in that this is the first time multiple directors work on the movie, due to each of them having more of an understanding on specific topics covered in the movie. This film is the directorial debut of former social worker Anthony Page. Summary The film deals with two cavern explorers getting lost in a cave, only for one of them to wake up in the den of an unknown individual. The segments in the movie are told through various documents found in a chest, which gives an idea on who the captor is. Plot Cal (Patrick Bergen) and Cadence (Melissa Gilbert) are exploring an unknown cave system in New Mexico. Cadence is secretly having an affair with Cal and she worries her real husband will find out. Cal assures her that he'll never know. During their exploration, the two get caught in an argument, only to stop when they hear someone behind them. The two run and get separated from one another, and Cadence gets knocked out. She soon awakens to find herself naked with only a fur pelt to cover her. She sees that she's in a den with a burning fire and a chest against the wall. Upon opening it, she discovers various documents, which segway into the stories Summoned A team of jurors discuss the verdict they wish to pass in a case pertaining to the defendant supposedly killing the father of another. The jurors vote not guilty, save for one of them, Mike (Sam Anderson). He tells them that the defendant is innocent, and that none of the jurors are permitted to leave until they change their verdict. One of the jurors, Samuel (J.T. Walsh) attempt to exit the room, only to find that the outside leads to nowhere. Throughout the segment, Samuel becomes increasingly irritated over Mike's lack of cooperation, and is further triggered by the jurors agreeing with Mike's verdict. Having enough, Samuel charges towards Mike, stabbing him in the throat. As Mike slowly dies, he exclaims that the true culprit was revealed. The jurors turn against him, and as Samuel attempts to escape, a group of officers enter the room and take him away, with Samuel pleading for mercy. Off screen, Samuel somehow manages to escape, with the one of the officers claiming that one of his fingers were severed off. Fast Food of the Gods After receiving a speeding ticket, Melani (Candace Cameron) is forced to get a job at a newly opened fast food restaurant, Frimores. The restaurant is run by Sonny Frimore (Tom Noonan), an eccentric man who seems to be more than happy to have Melani work for him. She is requested to work as a cashier and is prohibited from entering the manager's office. While working, she notices that her friends are there. They claim that the restaurant is amazing and that they've been eating there every week. Melanie doesn't seem to mind working and has even been given a generous paycheck. The next day, Melani invites her friends to the mall, but they decline, wanting to eat at Frimores instead. Melani tries to talk some sense into her friends, but they lash out at her, making her walk away. Soon after, she hears that her friends have been found dead in their rooms, and that the bodies have gone missing. Realizing that Frimores might be a key reason, she heads over to the restaurant to confront Sonny, but he claims he doesn't know what she's talking about. Furious, she barges into the manager's office to see her friend's bodies are getting sent through a meat processor, and that the meat is getting injected with hallucinogens, which caused her friends to get addicted to the restaurant in the first place. Sonny attempts to kill her, and manages to stab her in the shoulder. After a long struggle, Melani forces Sonny into the processor, killing him instantly. The police arrive and she attempts to explain what happened, but the officers don't believe her, assuming she's insane. The officers take her away, and as we get a closer look at the front of the car, Frimore burger wrappers could be seen littered across the dashboard. For Nature's Sake Waylon (William Hurt) is a hotel owner and hunter who has to put up with his daughter Ali (Jodie Sweetin) protesting his actions. Her protests go unheard as he eventually returns with a live wolf from one of his hunting trips, intending to use him as a display. Ali lashes out at her father during one of his meetings and is forced to remain in her room. She assumes that her father and the rest of the hotel are torturing the wolf and she plots a way to free the wolf. At night, she sneaks to the cage and attempts to communicate with the wolf. She believes she has established a connection with the wolf and she opens the cage, but things sour when the wolf tackles her, managing to bite her ear off. Her father hears everything and he attempts to shoot the wolf, but the wolf gets to him and brutally kills him. The story ends as the wolf approaches a dying Ali, preparing to finish her off. Perfection Quincy Marx (Austin Pendelton) is a man who owns a variety of animals and frequently invites kids to his house. This has sparked curiosity and ire from his pretentious neighbor Saul (Richard Romanus) and his son Ed (David Cassidy). Saul believes that Marx is a potential sexual threat, while Ed is more skeptical and is only annoyed by Marx being the center of everyone's attention. Saul and Ed decide to sneak into Marx's house at night, only to hear Marx having a heated argument with someone. Saul wants to report it to the police, but Ed tells him that they don't have the right evidence. The next day, one of their neighbors claims that their son is missing, stating that he was last seen near Marx's house. Saul and Ed believe Marx was responsible, and they visit his house to investigate. Marx is initially friendly to the two, but when Saul brings up the missing boy, he claims that he doesn't know where he is, and he asks them to leave. While leaving, Ed hears some cries from the garage, but Marx forces him out before he could figure out what was happening. Ed tells Saul what he heard and the two are convinced that Marx has the boy. The two attempt to break into the garage, but Marx sees them and goes after them, knocking Ed out. Saul makes his way into the garage and he sees Marx's animals feeding on the boy. Marx explains that his animals gained a taste for flesh after a trickle of blood landed on their food. Marx killed her in order to feed her to the animals, and he has taken to kidnapping children to feed them to his animals. Saul and Marx fight, and Saul makes a cut on Marx's cheek. Saul kicks him towards the animals and they begin to eat him. After looking through all of the documents, Cadence begins to feel hungry. Across from the den is a spit-roast with an unknown meat on it. She begins to eat it, slowly becoming more primal. Her captor arrives, and it's revealed to be Samuel from the first story, her true husband. He explains to her the events leading to the first story, how he killed Cal's father and his obsession with cannibalism. He has hoarded court documents pertaining to events based around cannibalism. The woman claims the man is sick, and he reveals that she has been eating Cal. Shocked, the woman attempts to run away as the cave grows darker. She screams as Samuel gets closer to her. The glow of the fire dims, leaving the cave entirely dark. The fate of Cadence is left unknown. Reception The film received mixed reviews, with praise going towards the acting, the writing and the well established atmosphere and criticism going towards the execution and subject matter. The Lair is the greatest reviewed film to be produced by Laney/Novice Productions. In spite of this, the film has gained a heavy amount of notoriety in later years. Home Media The film was briefly available on VHS from HBO Video, but has since been out of print.